Suspension device for monorail-cranes.



v & H.LIBBY.

SUSPENSION DEVICE FOR MONORAIL CRANES. I APPLICATION FILED OUTJZ, 1912.

1,077,726. Patented Nov. 4, 1913.

Id 7 I0 Witnesses: Inventor: fav/ 5 M. Sam H.Libb L jiZMA b3 Hisfittor-negg,

COLUMBIA PLANOGRAPH 60-. WASHINGTON, D. b.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

SAM I-I. LIBBY, OF EAST ORANGE, NEW JERSEY, ASSIGNOR TO GENERAL ELECTRICR COMPANY, A CORPORATION OF NEW YORK.

SUSPENSION DEVICE FOR MONORAIL-CRANES.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Nov. 4,

Application filed October 12, 1912. Serial No. 725,509.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, SAM H. LIBBY, a citizen of the United States,residing at East Orange, county of Essex, State of New Jersey, haveinvented certain new and useful Improvements in Suspension Devices forMonorail-Cranes, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to overhead conveyers for freight of variouskinds and its object is to facilitate the movement of such conveyeralong the overhead. rail from which it is suspended.

In my prior Patent, No. 1,022,033, dated April 2, 1912, I have shown aconveyer of the general type to which the present in vention relates;that is to say, a frame supported at each end on trucks which run on thelower flanges of an I-beam forming the track. In order to negotiatecurves in the track, the trucks are swiveled to the frame. But if theordinary king bolt is used for this purpose, it soon wears out, andmoreover it does not provide sufiicient flexibility of movementinlateral directions.

My present invention therefore consists of a king bolt for each end ofsaid frame, having a ball and socket connection with its truck, in orderto give freedom of move ment in rounding curves or passing overirregularities in the track.

The invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawing, in whichFigure 1 is a side elevation of an overhead conveyer embodying myimprovements, and Fig. 2 shows a portion of one of the trucks partlybroken away to show the king bolt and its bearing in vertical section.

The overhead track is preferably an I-beam 1 whose lower flanges supportthe wheels of the trucks 2. There are two trucks, one at each end of theframe 3. An electric motor 4 is geared to the driving wheels of eachtruck, current being conveyed to said motors in any suitable manner. Anelectric motor 5 is mounted in the frame 3 and its armature shaft isgeared to a winding shaft 6 on which are secured two drums 7, from eachof which depends a hoisting rope 8, preferably provided with a pulleyblock 9 and hook 10.

The ends of the frame 3 have projecting arms 11 through which pass theking bolts is a nut 13, supporting a helical spring 1 L on which the arm11 rests. The head 15 of the bolt has a ball and socket bearing in theframe of the truck, preferably constructed as follows: The opening 16through which the bolt passes is enough larger than said bolt to give itplenty of play. At the upper end of said opening an annular seat 17 isprovided having a spherical concavity concentric with a point in theaxis of the head of the bolt. Resting on this seat is a convex sphericalWasher 18 on which hangs the head of the bolt. The upper side of thewasher is preferably provided with an annular rib which fits into agroove in the underside of the head 15.

The weight of the frame 3 and its accessories and load compresses thespring 14: so that the arms 11 do not lie in contact with the frames ofthe trucks. When the conveyer is moving along the track, the ball andsocket suspension permits a free and universal movement of the truckwith respect to the arm, so that in rounding curves or passing humps orhollows in the track there will be no undue frictional strains upon thebolts, wear will be reduced to a minimum and less power will be requiredto drive the conveyer.

In accordance with the provisions of the patent statutes, I havedescribed the principle of operation of my invention, together with theapparatus which I now consider to represent the best embodiment thereof;but I desire to have it understood that the apparatus shown is onlyillustrative, and that the invention can be carried out by other means.

What I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the UnitedStates, is

1. The combination with an overhead conveyer, comprising a framesuspended from two trucks, of a king bolt for each truck having aspherical washer under its head, and. a spherical seat for said washerin the frame of the truck.

2. An overhead conveyor comprising two trucks, a frame located betweensaid trucks In Witness whereof, I have hereunto set and having anarm ateach end, a-king bolt my'hand this tenth day of October, 1912. passingthrough each arm and the frameof the corresponding truck, a ball andsocket SAM LIBBX' joint at-the'up'per end of each bolt, a nut onWitnesses: V its lower end, and a spring between said nut .RoGEn H;BUTTERWORTH,

and the arm of the conveyer frame. JOHN E. ALEXANDER.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for fivecentseach, by addressingthe Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. G.

